


something about it felt like home somehow

by WillozSummers (SammieRie)



Category: Stitchers (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Poly-V, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammieRie/pseuds/WillozSummers
Summary: Linus and Kirsten celebrate Camille's birthday.(aka poly birthday fluff)





	something about it felt like home somehow

**Author's Note:**

> This was really just supposed to be some poly headcanons about Camille and her datemates. And then suddenly fanfic and *feelings*. (Feel free to talk to me about Amanda joining them for future birthday celebrations, as that was originally going to be part of the headcanons.)
> 
> Also, shoutout to my friend J, aka SunflowerSwanQueen, for being awesome and betaing this fic for me (and also inspiring/encouraging future Stitchers fic...)

“You got her a _book_ for her birthday?” Kirsten asked incredulously.

“I got her that new memoir from her favorite comedian!” Linus defended. Kirsten nodded, walking back into the kitchen to put the cake in the fridge. “Whatever. What kind of cake did you get her?” Linus asked, glancing over from stirring the chicken tikka masala on the stovetop.

“Red velvet, duh,” Kirsten rolled her eyes. “You think I don’t know my girlfriend’s favorite cake?”

“That’s not what I…” spinning around, he trailed off in his rebuttal at the sight of Kirsten, smirking at him with a hand on her hip. “I just… want this to be perfect,” Linus shrugged, turning back around to the dish. Staring at it intently, he continued, “This is the first birthday Camille’s had family who really care about her since her parents left, and…”

Kirsten put her hand on his shoulder sympathetically. “It’s gonna be fine, Linus. You’re making her favorite food, I got her those boots she’s been practically lusting after. Trust me, it’ll be great.”

At that moment, Kirsten’s phone went off. “Cameron says Camille just left the lab. I’m gonna set the table and make sure the living room’s picked up. You finish that food.” With a final supportive squeeze of his shoulder, Kirsten left the kitchen to put the finishing touches on cleaning the house she and Camille shared. Linus began pulling plates out of the cabinet, leaving the food to simmer to a finish while they waited.

-

Linus had just taken the tikka off the stove and pulled out the naan his mother made when he heard Camille’s car pull into the driveway. Using the door of the microwave as a mirror, he checked his hair, then smoothed out his shirt and walked out to the living room to greet her. Kirsten came bounding down the hallway just as Camille was pushing the door open.

“Is that Mrs. Ahluwalia’s chicken tikka masala I smell?” Camille asked, before she was fully inside. Inhaling deeply, she let out a slight moan at the aroma. She walked over to Linus first, kissing him deeply, knowing he must be responsible for the meal awaiting them. Pulling away, she took the two steps over to Kirsten, kissing her long and tender. “So, dinner with my girlfriend _and_ my boyfriend. What’s the occasion?”

“We wanted to give you a nice birthday dinner,” Linus moved toward the kitchen for the food after he answered, the ladies following behind him.

“Why tonight? My birthday’s on Saturday.” Even amidst her confusion, Camille moved around the kitchen with the others in ease, grabbing the wine to bring to the table as the others carried out the food.

“We wanted to try to do it in between cases,” Kirsten explained, setting down the naan. “That way there’s less chance of work interruptions.” 

“Plus,” said Linus, placing the chicken tikka masala dish on the table, “this way it can be just us.” He smiled at Camille, a dopey grin that had first had annoyed her but she’d since grown to love.

“Well, I am a very lucky girl. This smells amazing. Your doing, Linus, or your mother’s?” she teased, pouring herself some wine.

“The tikka’s mine, but it’s mom’s recipe. And she made the naan,” he gestured to the bread as Kirsten put a few pieces on her plate, passing the tin to him.

“Remind me to thank mama Ahluwalia.” Camille smiled at Linus, making a mental note to call his mother to thank her. _Or maybe just go over for another dinner_ , she thought, knowing his family would welcome having her over again. Biting into the chicken tikka, she nodded at Linus. Reaching out for his hand, she swallowed before continuing. “Almost as good as your mom’s,” she teased with a smirk, leaning over to kiss his cheek when he pouted playfully.

Kirsten grinned at Linus from across the table, nodding her head towards him to thank him for the meal. “So, babe, how was work?” she asked, as most of the lab had been out today. Without a stitch to do, she had taken the opportunity to clean the house, while Linus had spent the day with his parents and then came to make dinner. Camille, meanwhile, had spent the day in the stitch lab with Cameron, practicing piloting stitches.

They fell into comfortable conversation as they ate - Camille relaying how she’d done at piloting, talking with Linus about the controls, joking with Kirsten about how mad Maggie might be if they ever tried dirty talking over the comms. Linus updated Camille on his family after catching up with them all day, and told her they insisted she come over soon so they could give her birthday gifts. Camille insisted they didn’t have to, but acquiesced to going over, never one to turn down Mrs. Ahluwalia’s cooking _(or the sense of family and belonging she felt with Linus’ parents)_. Camille and Kirsten got sidetracked with a heated debate about the movie they’d watched the night before, and they all discussed the case they’d just finished and how nice it was to have a few days without any stitches to do. Before they knew it, the meal was finished, as was the first bottle of wine.

“So there’s cake in the fridge - store bought,” Kirsten added with a grin, cutting Camille off before she could tease her cooking abilities - or lack thereof. “But first, presents!” She hopped up to retrieve the box from the living room, as Linus pulled his out of his bag. Plopping the box in Camille’s lap from behind, Kirsten kissed Camille’s cheek before returning to her seat. Camille grinned, her nose scrunching revealing how happy she is; she stared down at the box, hoping her hair would hide her blush.

After a moment, Camille suddenly and unceremoniously began to tear into the wrapping paper, startling a chuckle from both her partners. She ripped the paper and tore off the lid of the box, mouth momentarily falling open before forming into a grin, looking back up at Kirsten. “Oh my god. Babe! These are so expensive!” Camille lifted one of the boots out, marveling at the style.

“It’s your birthday,” Kirsten said by way of explanation. She simply reached out to take Camille’s hand, smiling at her softly.

Camille shook her head in disbelief, but leaned in to give Kirsten a passionate kiss. Pulling back, she tangled her fingers in her hair for a moment. Resting their foreheads together, she looked in her eyes before saying “Thank you.”

After a moment, Camille broke the kiss. She placed the boot back in the box, setting the box beside her chair, before accepting the smaller package Linus offered her. She could tell by the feel that the contents weren’t in a box underneath the packaging, and so she sliced open the paper slightly more carefully. Sliding a fingernail across the front, she revealed the title, a smaller, but equally genuine, smile stretching across her face. “Tig Notaro’s book. Linus, thank you, you know how much I’ve been wanting to read this.”

She started to lean in to kiss him, but he interrupted. “Look at the inside cover,” he said, pointing down at the book.

“Did you get it signed?” she asked, grinning at him, before looking down at the open book. Instead of a signature, she found three tickets. “Tickets? Linus, what are these for?” 

“Her comedy show. She’s doing a couple weeks in LA before she goes on a little tour. I figured we could go.” Camille smiled at him eagerly, but he glanced over to see Kirsten looking slightly out of place. He motioned towards her with his chin, wanting Camille to reveal the third ticket.

Camille grinned over at Kirsten then, holding up the tickets and fanning them out to show. “Three tickets, Kirsten. Pretty sure that means you too. Unless Linus has a secret other girlfriend he’s been hiding from the arrangement,” she teased, winking at Linus.

“Oh, you mean I forgot to mention…” Linus started, tone light and joking, trailing off. Camille slapped his arm in jest, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “No, Kirsten, it’s for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Kirsten insisted, smiling slightly awkwardly across the table at him.

“I know, but.. I wanted to,” he grinned across at her. “I know we’re still getting used to this new arrangement, but hey, we’re friends. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be able to go out with both of us sometimes.”

“Thank you,” Kirsten said earnestly, nodding at him with a smile.Linus simply grinned back at her, before Camille grabbed his chin and turned him towards her, pulling him in for a kiss. This time he tangled his fingers in her hair, scratching slightly at the base of her neck in a way that he drove her a little bit crazy. After a minute, he pulled back, leaving her slightly dazed. He chuckled slightly, leaning in for a light kiss before declaring, “So, about that cake?”

Camille laughed, focusing once more, nodding her head enthusiastically for the cake. “Yes, cake! Mama always needs cake,” she smirked, earning a fond chuckle from both her lovers. Linus put the gifts in the living room before opening another bottle of wine, while Kirsten brought out the cake.

“We figure we’ll spare you the singing and candles, if that’s alright,” Linus told Camille. She simply shot him a fake glare as an answer. “We figure the team will see to that when we celebrate on Saturday.” With that, they cut into the cake. There was less conversation than during dinner, more joking and teasing. Camille explained that she already had the _perfect_ outfit to wear with the boots to the comedy show, and Kirsten laughed that _of course_ Camille was planning her outfit around the boots. At one point Linus had icing on the corner of his mouth, and Camille leaned in to lick it off, and she could feel his mouth vibrate with a silent moan. She pulled away with a smirk, swiping her finger through her icing and bopping him on the nose with it, making him look like a clown. Linus looked affronted, while Kirsten burst out laughing. Her laughter was cut off when Camille did the same to her, before she then burst out in giggles, Linus’ laugh joining both of the girls. When the cake was put away and they collapsed together on the couch for a few minutes, Camille’s stomach hurt not from too much cake, but from too much laughter.

Eventually, though, Kirsten had to get up to do the dishes. Camille and Linus slipped into making out, hands exploring each other’s bodies, and soon Kirsten glanced at the hallway to find Camille hungrily pushing Linus towards the bedroom. She heard them hit the door, fumble with opening it, and then land on the bed with a thud. Contrary to popular belief, however, Kirsten didn't mind the sounds. She focused on doing the dishes, but when she heard her girlfriend moaning from the other room, she simply smiled. She wasn't one to begrudge her girlfriend's pleasure, and she wasn't jealous. Quite the opposite - she enjoyed knowing her girlfriend was having a good time. Once she finished the dishes, she simply settled in her own bed across the hall. Admittedly, though, the sounds her girlfriend made had her quite turned on. So she listened in, touching herself and getting herself off to the sounds of her girlfriend having sex across the hall. When she heard them trail off, she assumed they’d drift off to sleep together.

Kirsten was surprised when she heard a knock on her door, followed by Camille poking her head in. Her hair was disheveled, and she wore a sleepy grin. “Babe, come join us,” she offered, leaning against the doorway.

Kirsten blinked in shock. “I know Linus and I are friends… But…” she trailed off, unsure how to respond.

Camille laughed, realizing the misunderstanding. “No, babe, not like that.” She grinned at Kirsten, walking over to the bed to kiss her. “I just meant, come sleep with us? I’ll be in between you two, but it would be really nice to fall asleep with both of you.” Camille looked at the bedspread as she said it, unable to look at her girlfriend when asking something so soft, so vulnerable.

Kirsten adored seeing the soft side of Camille, seeing her learn to ask for things from those she loved. She placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, smiling at her when she looked up. “You’re really beautiful, did you know that?” Camille blushed, burying her face in Kirsten’s shoulder. Kirsten kissed the top of her head. “Okay, come on, let’s go to bed,” she said, standing and pulling Camille up with her. They pushed open the door to the room, finding Linus walking out of the bathroom in boxers and an oversized shirt. He gave Kirsten a tentative smile, both of them a bit awkward around each other at the prospect.

Camille crawled into bed, scooting over to the middle. She stared at the other two, waiting for them to join her. “Come on, guys. The bed is big and cold and I want to sleep.” She put on a pout, knowing they’d both cave immediately.

Kirsten and Linus met eyes, shrugged at each other, and Linus let out a small laugh. He walked around to the far side of the bed, laying on his side to face Camille. Kirsten did the same, claiming the side closer to the door. Camille snaked out an arm, wrapping it around Kirsten to pull her snug against her. Kirsten smiled across at Linus, waiting for him to scoot closer to Camille. He obliged, laying against Camille’s side and resting his hand on her stomach. She wrapped her arm around him, running her fingers through his hair. Kirsten draped her arm to rest against Camille’s opposite collarbone and wrapped Camille’s leg between both of her own, clinging to her like a monkey. Linus caught Camille’s foot between his, his hand tracing patterns over her stomach and her hip. She did the same to Kirsten’s back, eliciting a small hum of contentment.

Camille closed her eyes and smiled, trying to soak in the feeling - two people she’s in love with, both sleeping soundly beside her. Camille didn’t cry - she wasn’t any good at tears anymore - but she wished she could, the feeling in her chest too big to be kept in. She simply lay there, overwhelmed with the amount of love she’d been shown in one night, attempting to commit every bit of this to memory - the warmth of them both, the smell of Kirsten’s hair against her shoulder, the steady beat of their hearts she could feel at her fingertips.

-

She must have drifted to sleep eventually, because Camille woke to the sun peeking in through the curtains and the faint sound of pop music. Stretching, she realized that the rest of the bed was empty. Padding out into the hallway, she followed the scent of coffee towards the kitchen, the music growing louder. She stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of her.

Linus was at the stove, flipping a pancake, a plate beside him with a few finished pancakes on it, bopping his head along with the music. Kirsten, on the other hand, seemed to have gotten distracted from slicing a banana, as she was now dancing in the middle of the kitchen to Lady Gaga, far too energetically for this early in the morning. They were both still in their sleep clothes from the night before, not having bothered to get dressed yet. Linus glanced over at Kirsten and laughed fondly, shaking his own hips to the beat before remembering to flip the pancake. Kirsten pivoted on her foot, swinging her head down for a dramatic hair flip. As she came up, her hair flipping back over her shoulder, she froze, blushing bright red, realizing Camille was watching. Camille couldn’t help but laugh, leaning against the doorway for support. Catching her breath, she walked over to Kirsten, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing both of her blushing cheeks.

Linus glanced over his shoulder at them, moving the pancake to the plate before turning around. Wagging his finger at Camille, he mock scolded her, “You were supposed to stay in bed. We were gonna bring you breakfast in bed,” he gestured towards the plate of pancakes, and she resisted rolling her eyes at the obvious.

“That sounds really sweet,” she said, leaning against his chest to kiss him good morning as well, “but I need coffee.” She pushed off him, heading straight to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup. Kirsten shook her head, glad the coffee was ready before Camille woke up. She stood by the counter for a minute, drinking the coffee, while Linus poured another pancake and Kirsten finished slicing the banana.

Hearing the opening notes to the next song, Camille set down her coffee cup, draping herself on Linus’ shoulder and gently biting his ear, dragging her teeth across it. She spun to the other side of Linus, standing with one hand on his shoulder, reaching out her other hand to Kirsten’s shoulder, giving a sultry look. “One, two, three,” Camille sang along, pointing at each of them as she sang, “Not only you and me. Got 180 degrees and I’m caught in between.”

Kirsten laughed, realizing what the song was about, and just how hilarious it was to come on right now. Camille grinned back at her, pulling her into the middle of the kitchen. Turning back to Linus, he gestured to his pancakes, but she dragged her nails down his back, pouting while continuing to sway her hips with the music. He was a bit mesmerized by her hips, drawn in towards her. She knocked the spatula out of his hand before dragging him into the middle of the kitchen with her as well, pulling him along by his shirt collar.

She backed up until she was pressed against Kirsten, grinding her hips against her. She reached one hand behind her to pull Kirsten’s face to her, turning her head to kiss her, open-mouthed and hungry. Linus looked uncomfortable, still held to her by his shirt collar. Leaving one hand tangled in Kirsten's hair, she bit her bottom lip, dragging her teeth along it as she pulled back. Kirsten whimpered, putting on a pout, but Camille simply smirked back at her, rubbing her neck. Instead, she turned to Linus, using her hand still twisted in his shirt collar to close the gap between them, their lips meeting with the same hunger and intensity. As he melted into the kiss, their tongues sought each other's mouths, a dance at once familiar and foreign, her senses overwhelmed by Linus' lips on hers and his hands on her hips, and Kirsten's lips at her neck, her body pressed against her back, still following the rhythm of the song. Camille moved her hand from Linus' shirt to run her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

With one hand holding each of them to her, Camille lost awareness of anything but the bodies on either side of her, surrendering to sensation - Kirsten nipping and sucking, leaving hickeys up and down her neck, sometimes trailing her tongue along a fresh mark, soothing it over; Linus' tongue, not fighting hers, but in a coordinated dance, exploring her mouth as though he hadn't memorized it long ago; his hands at her waist, thumbs digging into her hips; and Kirsten's body against her back, the way her chest pressed against her, her hips moving to a beat Camille had lost track of. Sensual moments like this with either one weren't unusual, but with _both_? Usually they kept a bubble of space between them, leaving her crossing the few steps of distance to be touching one or the other. To have them both at once had her overwhelmed in all the best ways.

Lost in between her lovers, Camille hadn't noticed the smoke rising from the stove. Suddenly, a high-pitched beeping startled them all, causing them to jump apart. Kirsten cursed under her breath, dashing to the stove to snatch the pan off the burner, walking to the trash to scrape the burnt and blackened pancake into it. Linus hung his head in shame, but Camille still stood there blinking, still dazed.

"...Well, so much for that pancake," Kirsten said, breaking the silence, smiling at Linus to attempt to put him at ease. Camille burst out laughing, awareness settling back in. Leaning her head against Linus' shoulder, he chuckled lightly with her, embarrassment about the pancake fading away. Pressing a kiss against the side of her head, he extricated himself from her, walking over to Kirsten to take the pan from her. He set to rinsing it and finishing cooking the pancake batter he'd prepared. Kirsten disabled the smoke alarm and opened the window above the stove, trying to air out the kitchen. She settled at the kitchen table, Camille sitting beside her. She reached out and took Camille's hand, fiddling with her fingers as they sat, both with dopey grins on their faces.

The rest of the morning was much less eventful, teasing each other over pancake toppings - Linus preferred powdered sugar, Kirsten liked hers with banana, while Camille insisted classic butter and maple syrup was the way to go - and trading gentler kisses. Linus showered, leaving Camille and Kirsten to lay in bed and kiss and make out, not having time for anything more. Sooner than any of them wanted, they had to leave for the lab. Camille drove, hoping the time behind the wheel with music would let her compose herself for the day, but everyone in the lab noticed her love-struck aura all through the day - leaving her distracted during the meeting, grinning more than smirking, and generally more pleasant than anyone was used to. She couldn't help it - how could she not be in a good mood after spending most of the last day with the two people she loved most, blind to the outside world.

-

(The party with the team was equally warm and loving and overwhelming. They ate dinner in the Chinese restaurant that hid the lab, Maggie insisting she pay for Camille's meal. Then they returned to the lab, using the conference room for cake and present, just like for Kirsten's surprise party. Fisher got her a leather jacket and boxing gloves, Maggie got her a beautiful necklace that was perfectly her style along with pepper spray disguised as lipstick, and Cameron got her the collector's edition X-Files box set. The whole lab ate cake, chatting amongst themselves. Eventually, everyone but the core team dispersed, and the six of them went out for drinks at a local bar, laughing, trading stories, and buying Camille a few too many birthday shots. When Kirsten drove her home that night, she was sappy and affectionate. She had burrowed into Kirsten and Linus in the booth at the bar, far more demonstrative than usual. She continued to cling onto Kirsten as they returned home, and when they went to bed, she was the one cuddling against Kirsten's chest, closing the space between them as much as possible. Kirsten could have sworn she felt her crying, her tears dropping onto her chest and Camille trying to conceal her chest shaking slightly, but Kirsten simply ran her hand through Camille's hair, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head, pulling her even closer to her. She knew how overwhelming love could be when you weren't accustomed to it.)

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to find me on tumblr @ speedydanvers to talk Stitchers, polyamory, and all that jazz


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